EcoLur
The party in power, the Republican Party of Armenia, ran for the Syunik Regional Governor Vahe Hakobyan’s candidature, MP from RPA, as it was informed after the meeting of the executive body of RPA on 4 July. Vahe Hakobyan’s candidature had been proposed by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.
Vahe Hakobyan’s appointment ended not only the flagrant process of Syunik Regional Ex Governor Suren Khachatryan’s resignation in regard with the shooting near the governor’s house and consequent assassination. Certain stage of the conflict also ends between the clans in power in Syunik, that of Zangezour copper and molybdenum combine director’s Maxim Hakobyan, whose son is Vahe Hakobyan and Ex Governor Suren Khachatryan. The whole intrigue was who would be appointed and who would be the owner of Syunik.
The intrigue had an expectable result, if to take into consideration Maxim Hakobyan’s increasing influence. As it’s known, Zangezour copper and molybdenum combine, where Maxim Hakobyan holds the post of the director, is a giant enterprise bringing billions of dividends to its owners. Meanwhile, small workshops and different parts of ZCMC production become separate companies. This means that the industrial giant becomes dependent on smaller serving companies, which can be named small business, more precisely, family business.
What concerns in Vahe Hakobyan’s appointment? First of all, in what direction the governor will be developing Syunik? Syunik is a complex region, where the conflict of interests is increasingly escalating between developing mining industry and conservation of water, land and forest resources, wild nature, tourism development and agriculture development.
How the new governor will accept Meghri residents’ appeal, where they signed a protest appeal against the development of new mines posing huge risks for the existence of Meghri residents themselves and adjacent villages?
How the new governor will accept Qajarants villagers’ protest, who accuse ZCMC administration of lobbying illegal governmental decision on land alienation?
How the new governor will accept the company’s actions, which are implemented without legal grounds and permits? How he will assess ZCMC activities, which didn’t hold any public hearings on the expanded production and mining projects as prescribed by RA Law “On Environmental Impact Expert Assessment”?
And eventually, whether the new governor will take into account the position of the local residents and public viewpoint in case this position contradicts with his business interests? This is the most important question, and the answers to it will be given in the shortest time period.
July 05, 2013 at 15:58